After a five-year stint with the UFC, veteran heavyweight
Josh Barnett has been released from his contract.
Two people with knowledge of the situation, including a UFC official, informed MMAjunkie of Barnett’s release. They asked to remain anonymous because the news had not yet been made public.
Barnett’s release from his contract does not carry any stipulations and is considered a full separation from the UFC. The move comes three months after the 40-year-old fighter was
exonerated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for a failed drug test, receiving only a public warning from the UFC’s anti-doping partner.
It’s unclear exactly what led to Barnett’s release rather than a return to the octagon, where he most recently
defeated ex-champ Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 93 in September 2016. Calls to the fighter and his management weren’t immediately returned.
Barnett expressed dismay with the results management process for his failed drug test. While he still wanted to compete,
he said he didn’t trust USADA.
An out-of-competition test of Barnett revealed the presence of ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that mimics anabolic agents and is banned year-round. Although USADA found he was the victim of a contaminated supplement, he faced a four-year suspension before ultimately going to arbitration with USADA.
An independent arbitrator took note of Barnett’s meticulous record keeping of supplements and found he was not guilty of knowingly taking ostarine. Barnett later
sued the supplement maker.
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